Reportable Cases

Reportable Cases should be called in to Investigations at 248-858-5099 immediately after pronouncement of death.
The following deaths are reportable to the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office:

• All patients that expire within 24 hours of admission.
• All deaths in which the attending physician has not been in attendance of the decedent within 30 days prior to death. If the physician certifying the cause and manner of death on the death certificate has not been in attendance within the 30 days prior.
• All deaths resulting from accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined cause and/or manner (e.g. fall, poisoning, drug-related, industrial accident, automobile accident, automobile-pedestrian accident, suspected abuse, etc.).
• All deaths that occur in the emergency room, operating room, during or shortly following a medical procedure.
• Deaths resulting from therapeutic procedures or possibly may be related to the procedure.
• Deaths resulting from thermal, chemical or radiation injury.
• All deaths in which the attending physician is unable or unwilling to certify the cause of death.
• All deaths due to unexplained causes or under suspicious circumstances.
• Deaths resulting from a disease which may be hazardous, contagious, or which may constitute a threat to public health. Chronic Hepatitis C is not reportable.
• Sudden death of a person in good health.
• All death in which trauma may be associated with death (e.g. fall with hip fracture, head injury or other trauma). Cases where the patient entered the medical facility due to trauma. Cases should be promptly reported even though the death may be attributed only indirectly to the trauma.
• All deaths while in the custody of law enforcement officials, or while incarcerated in a public institution.
• All deaths resulting from criminal abortion, including any situation where such abortion may have been self-induced.

Any fetal or newborn death is reportable if any of the above may have resulted or possibly played a role in the demise/death. Examples of Reportable Fetal/Infant Deaths:

• Mother has a positive drug screen upon admittance into the hospital and has a fetal death.
• Mother is assaulted a few days prior to admittance.
• Mother is involved in a traffic accident, or any other traumatic event, shortly before labor begins.

The Reporting Party MUST have firsthand knowledge of the Decedent’s care and be prepared for the questions that will be asked by Investigators.

For Physicians

Certifying the natural deaths of your patients correctly and promptly is not only your statutory duty, but is an important final act of care for your patient, and their grieving family.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions—we are happy to help. An improperly completed death certificate can result in delay of funeral arrangement for families and other complications.

Instructions for Physicians Completing the Medical Portion of the Certificate of Death

Causes of death that include the following will NOT BE ACCEPTED—please keep in mind this is not a full list:

• Intracranial/Subarachnoid/Subdural Hemorrhage/Hematoma
• From trauma, if it is a stroke—it should read Intracerebral Hemorrhage
• Pleural Effusion
• Frequently accompanies trauma
• Aspiration/Aspiration Pneumonia
• Must be checked for choking episode
• Pneumothorax
• Frequently accompanies trauma
• Quadriplegia/Quadriplegic/Hemiplegic/Paraplegia
• Frequently accompanies trauma
• Alzheimer's/Dementia/Senile Degeneration of the Brain
• Must list "with Complications" or list other causes along with it
• Failure to Thrive/Protein Calorie Malnutrition/Old Age/Natural Causes
• Not a cause of death
• Myocardial Infarction
• This is an event, not a cause
• Cardiac Failure/Arrest
• These are events, not causes
• Respiratory Failure/Arrest
• These are events, not causes
• Renal Failure/Acute Kidney Injury
• These are events, not causes
• Ventricular/Atrial Fibrillation
• These are events, not causes
• Sepsis/Septic Shock/Shock
• These are events, not causes
• Cancer must be specified where in the body it was found

The following are NOT NATURAL and will ALWAYS be signed by a Medical Examiner: FRACTURES, FALLS, DRUG OVERDOSE, DRUG INTOXICATION, DRUG ABUSE, PENDING, UNKNOWN, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, CHOKING.

Please reach out to our office if you have specific questions on what CAN and CANNOT be listed as a cause of death.

CDC Reference Guideline for Filling Out Death Certificate

CDC Training for filling out Death Certificates